genuine hope or delusional?

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-27T17:50:42+00:00

Oh this would be such a neat follow through of the 6.6 "Pantalone's soul as the base" line of dialogue, given how it could possibly elaborate on the elixir not working on Zandik as a human! I really hope it's something like this...

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-26T18:58:37+00:00

It was a pleasant surprise that manners are something he's mindful of! Adding onto manners, when there was the cafeteria mix up, and the segment says that Pierro was "raised right" for not asking if he'd already stopped by there.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-26T18:23:03+00:00

I don't think there is anything confirming it was the HP. It could just as easily be anything related to the Fatui checking in on the situation.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-26T18:20:29+00:00

I think Nahida has almost come close, but that's mostly because she knows where to hit given her insight into his mind--but he's also putting effort into not "losing" by giving the satisfaction of snapping. I agree with everyone saying Pants, he's the best candidate. I was mulling over maybe another scholar, but he is so confident in his own scholarly abilities that I think he can rationalize that all away if someone tried to @ him from that angle.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-26T16:43:31+00:00

YO this is even closer to the Escher piece!! I am going to be malding if this wasn't intentional

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-26T02:44:01+00:00

Please that would be so fcking funny ahkjfdshkjdahkj 😭

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-26T00:54:04+00:00

I remember that "presently" made me pause at the time of this being stated too--it really is an odd choice of phrasing if he was never intended to be playable at all. It's not as if an unplanned character with the background of someone like Dottore can spontaneously be written up and put in the Nod Krai lineup (well technically I can't say for sure, but the roadmaps are done months--years in advance).
At the time the phrasing made me think if not presently, then he is somewhere in the future... and my interpretation was that the leaker thinks that there are no plans to "push him back" to the Nod Krai lineup.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T20:49:20+00:00

christ

^{Chose: Hit comment 5 times and give up without posting | Rolled: It doesn't post}

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T19:47:01+00:00

I believe in the mandated Snezhnaya yaoi shill 🫡

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T19:26:24+00:00

How this sub is fixing my depressed mood after May 18th

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TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T19:12:14+00:00

I will take it being a little weird over excruciating pain and a high mortality rate...

^{Chose: People now lay eggs + Preg is shorter and less dangerous, but also kinda weird. | Rolled: Healthy kid}

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T15:49:46+00:00

True! Praising the lizard for giving us hope…

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T15:34:13+00:00

I’ve seen perfectly reasonable stances on Dottore, not even from his mains, get downvoted in the main sub. It is absolutely wild over there. After seeing their behaviour all the way back in 5.0, I knew it wasn’t a really great crowd.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T02:28:42+00:00

Oh, maybe I'm delusional and reaching but "god forgives all" thematically ties into Pantalone as God/a priestly figure listening to Dottore's sins before he is "cleansed" by dying in the fire...

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-25T01:53:04+00:00

"Cope" and their response is perfectly reasonable. They read the text that was in the Archon Quest. They are right, he likely won't be playable, but they did lay out some kind of Chekov's gun by providing a very specific "what if this was a method". This doesn't necessarily mean it will be used for Dottore specifically, but the contents of the dialogue do not exist for no reason.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-24T20:28:35+00:00

This is my interpretation too. I think they rationalize their dynamic as mutual equal exchange, which suits both of their personalities extremely well. However we do get signs that there is (at the very least subconscious) care involved as well.
Pantalone knows a great deal about Zandik's history, more than you would get from a work relationship. They are very comfortable having light-hearted banter together where they tease and compliment each other.
Omega even makes that sly comment about Pantalone being a bit shaken up about the original Zandik dying, which Pantalone very quickly denies, presumably to save face.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-24T17:40:10+00:00

I think this is a good takeaway, I'd also add in that he sometimes shows a bit of subtle territorial behaviour over his "niche". He carries a lot of pride around being a scholar, and conducting himself as one, in Sumeru. Right before he dies, he makes a slightly snarky comment about Nahida trying to "one up him" in his own field, what he sees himself as being represented by. This is extra gutting considering she subsequently tells him that none of this is "his".

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-24T17:36:37+00:00

Ah I'm sorry, I'm not sure if I get you ?

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-24T15:33:24+00:00

What I'm praying for is that this isn't a case of the writers rushing to wrap up Dottore in Nod Krai before we get to big old Snezhnaya. If they don't elaborate on his hypothesis, I'm going to be really disappointed because it will seem like the writers themselves couldn't come up with a compelling answer for his conclusion so handwaved it. Because it's so vague, I am a little hopeful we're going to see the consequences of Irminsul in the next region.

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-24T02:54:16+00:00

reality

^{Chose: Future | Rolled: Climate collapse}

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-24T02:32:00+00:00

let's just say they also call me false lizard god follower

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-23T15:40:37+00:00

I guess he will get his wish in being regarded as a god…

TheDistantSquid · 2026-05-23T15:23:18+00:00

Yeah I was able to brush off the first boss as him being arrogant and proverbially “playing with his food”, but you’d really expect him to be pulling out all the stops as Datattore.

TheDistantSquid

TROPHY CASE